I am 63, been following BTD for at least 14 yrs, Swami for a few. I have recently had two, brief, episodes that I have now decided might be mild seizures. Both times, a month apart, I had a hamburger, at Ruby Tuesday's and they happen the next am, probably all night, too, because my sleep is weird, to say the least. Normally, I sleep like a baby. I have not been to a doctor. I don't have health insurance.

Ruby Tuesday will not give me an ingredient list. Understandable. Whatever the food/chemical is, I have not run into it before. I just hope I don't run into it again. I usually eat a steak and baked potato when eating out, or something else that shouldn't bother my B-ness.

I was wondering if anyone else had ever had this type of reaction. Seizures can vary so much in how the occur, I know. Mine are just a frightening sort of spacing out, I can't speak, can't think, very brief, pretty scary. My husband is freaked out. I recover pretty quickly.

It really makes me think of how much foods can affect the brain, learning disabilities, depression, mental illness, etc. I am so thankful that I can know that it is a food and not just think something is horrible wrong and go off onto some lifetime debilitating medications.

I just saw a post that I made after my first episode on July 18. I had not been able to get back onto the boards after making that post. Thanks for the responses. The last time I had a whole wheat bun and suspected that. This time I didn't. It may be a chemical in the sauces or a meat additive. The other ingredients appeared to be foods I can tolerate - mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.

I see that this may be a B nonnie thing, some are thinking. I can tell you that I seem to be more sensitive to foods than most people I know, but then most people I know don't do BTD and are not as in touch with what affects them. Of course, none are having seizures that I know of, but many have depressions, "mental illnesses" (I put it in quotes not because I don't think these are legimate, but because I am sceptical of many labels and because I wonder if some could be improved by avoiding certain foods), attention deficit disorders, etc.

Hi Maukik, Most of the ingredients you ate would bother my body a lot, but then, I'm also very sensitive to food, even some that are "allowed" on my food list (neutral). I eat almost no neutrals - sticking to Superfoods and Diamonds - and have no problems anymore.

I have a lot of Explorer traits, but still came out being a strong Nomad. Still, I relate to what you are describing.

Are you sure those episodes were not mini-strokes? Twice in the past 2 years, I have had two strange little experiences of Scintillating Scotoma, without any other symptoms of migraine - no pain. Both of these times, I ate nothing that was not part of my regular diet, but I was experiencing some kind of emotional jolt (bad news, a sudden shock, etc). Here is a link to what I had, and the two photo examples on the lower right are exactly what I experienced for close to an hour. Other symptoms were anxiety, nausea and weakness. An immediate physicians' exam ruled out stroke.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillating_scotoma

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.~Mary Jean Irion

Thank you for the link, Victoria. No my symptoms were not like that at all. I did consider at first that I could have been having TIA's or mini-strokes. My blood pressure tends to run high. I am sure it is caused by whatever these ingredients were, as opposed to an emotional, stress, upset. My symptoms are: slight Deja vu, slight Jamais vu, "strange feelings", mild fear/panic and also pleasant feelings, confusion, spacing out, can't talk, can't find words, can't think of words, staring (according to my husband), a pretty quick recovery, never losing consciousness.

I do usually stick to only superfoods/diamonds, few neutrals. Only recently have I tried a little bread. I had cut out all grains. Each episode was exactly alike, approximately a month apart and only after eating at a hambuger at Ruby Tuesday. I don't eat out too much, but when I do I never have a problem because I am very careful, taking my own dressings, butter, etc. I don't know what possessed me to go ahead and go for a wheat bun the first time. I haven't had that for at least 13 years. I never dreamed it would give me that type of reaction. But, it was not the wheat bun after all. I had a white bun the second time and still had the same reation. Something on their sauce or in the hamburger itself.

I have come to the conclusion that the whole world is not as sensitive as I am. Not even many BTD'ers. I know from reading your posts that you are even more careful than I am. I guess it is my nonnie, explorer-ness.

There could be almost any kind of chemical added to a burger- something like MSG, or they could have blended in ground pork or chicken with the beef, or soy protein, or bread crumbs. Avoiding the bun may not have kept you from ingesting wheat!

If you've had this reaction three times from eating a burger at a specific restaurant, I think maybe you should stop eating there! Frankly I wouldn't trust ANYTHING in that restaurant- even a steak could be dusted with flour and chemicals before grilling.

if you google "got sick at ruby tuesdays", there are lots and lots of people with complaints....everything from food poisoning to being served rotten food. I wonder about the qualityof the meat, whether it's truly all meat or combined with a filler, compressed and passed off asquality beef. If I were you, I'd be done with this food chain. Your reaction is too severe to risk eatingthere again. I don't know if these chains are individually owned or company owned. A franchiseowner could cut corners to save money.

THis info is posted online but doesn't explain anything about your reaction. Only thing that jumpedout at me was reading this "ingredient changes may occur due to substitutions, preparation variation, and regional availability of products". Kind of implies "anything goes".

when I read the list of symptoms that can come from MSG, I think SquarePeg is right....Seizures is on the list. I get really weird symptoms from Chinese foods....almost hallucinations....bizarre flashing lights in my head....numbness, buzzing....I never quite thought of the wordseizure but it's a very scary experience. MSG is a flavor enhancer. I wouldn't be surprised ifall fast food restaurants, and food chains add it to everything. I once landed in the ER aftereating a bowl of soup in a Chinese restaurant. DIfficult to know what foods contain MSG ifyou're eating out.

Hope you're feeling better. And if you had gone to the ER, they would have given you a CATscan, sent you to a neurologist......nobody would have ever considered to ask you what you ate,or if you're someone who has chemical sensitivities....you'd have become a patient in a system,and likely being treated for a seizure condition. Hopefully, this won't happen to you again.Just be careful of what you order in a restaurant!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.....they know how to make the best of everything!"

You are absolutely right, Chloe. I though the same thing. How sad to get caught up in the medical system on brain altering medications when a food/chemical could be the culprit.

I am better. I am pretty much fine both times right after the "seizures".

I can't help but believe that I have had MSG since eating this way, but maybe not. I thought most places had gotten away from it. I don't eat out that much, and when I do, I am usually familiar with what I can order, where. I am pretty much a purist when it comes to food, but I do eat out on occasion. As a rule, I bring my own dressings, butter, syrup, etc., but even when ordering a steak, I wonder what in the world they have seasoned with. I don't always ask. I sometimes just take my chances.

i just ate at ruby tuesday's this past weekend and also had a bad reaction. i had an avocado and bacon burger and removed the bun. it tasted okay, but later that day, my sinus's filled up and i was sneezing my head off. and the inside of my nose was terribly itchy. i also had some severe edema (7 lbs overnight!) and i had a pain in the middle of my abdomen (like gallbladder pain, but i have no gallbladder). It was awful to say the least. I've eaten at other restaurants like that and never had this reaction. I will be avoiding it too!

i just ate at ruby tuesday's this past weekend and also had a bad reaction. i had an avocado and bacon burger and removed the bun. it tasted okay, but later that day, my sinus's filled up and i was sneezing my head off. and the inside of my nose was terribly itchy. i also had some severe edema (7 lbs overnight!) and i had a pain in the middle of my abdomen (like gallbladder pain, but i have no gallbladder). It was awful to say the least. I've eaten at other restaurants like that and never had this reaction. I will be avoiding it too!

Have you eaten bacon or pork before, since starting BTD? Also, having the burger on a bun, then removing it, leaves traces of wheat on the meat- it's not the same as when they don't put it on a bun at all.

I just watched an episode of "mystery diagnosis" where a woman started having fainting spells and then seizures whenever she ate. Come to find out her vagus nerve was stopping her heart for up to 10 seconds when she ate, causing all of her symptoms... A pace maker solved her problem.

Be who you are. Those who mind don't matter, those who matter won't mind.

Ruthie- yes i've had bacon recently. unfortunately lately i've been having more avoids than i like to have. i'm still not 100% recovered, but 5 of the 7 lbs have gone and i'm feeling much better! i usually have a strong recation from wheat, but usually it hits me the next day. i wake up hungover. this was something different. even if it was just a co-incidence, i won't be eating there ever again.

I have not had a "seizure" since eating at Ruby Tuesday last August. I hate to single them out, but it never happened before or after. I am always concerned when I eat out something that could have any chemical added that I am not aware of; I like to have just food and not additives. I have had doubts off and on that it was MSG, because with all of the combos of things that can make MSG, I am sure I injest it now and then. It isn't blood sugar, because I have been a very bad girl, off the diet some with blood sugars spiking if they were ever going to; I don't have blood sugar issues as a rule. I don't think my vagus nerve is the issue, because that would be more immediate and my reactions were both the following morning. Fluid on my brain wouldn't be the issue, because I will have more fluid in my system, being off of the diet like I have been from time to time, lately. I am pretty convinced it is a chemical.

Definitely stay off the gluten. I had two grand mal seizures in grad school. I was on antiseizure meds for three years. Then went gluten free. No problems now, though if I cheat I get migraines and/or tinnitus.

MSG and aspartame are my two other major triggers. Aged cheeses and things likely to set off a histamine reaction (berries and some other odds and ends) also trigger my nervous system issues.